Fastening-inserting machine



W. H. STARRATT.

FASTENING INSERTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30, I917.

Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

Hill

1 I Pi g 2 WI/M/TJ/Y law/2;? I, h

WILLIAM H. STARRATT, OF HAVERI-IILL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON,

NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEVJ JERSEY.

FASTENING-INSERTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

Application filed March 30, 1917. Serial No. 158,725.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVVILLIAM H. STAR- RATT, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Haverhill, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Fastening-Inserting Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to machines for inserting fastenings. The invention is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine of the type shown and described in United States Letters Patent N o. 1,030,77 5, granted June 25, 1912, on an application of George Goddu, and commonly termed a loose nailing machine.

Fastening inserting machines of this and other types are used extensively in the manufacture of boots and shoes to insert fastenings such as nails in fastening receiving openings formed in a boot or shoe by an awl which serves also to feed the shoe between successive fastening insertions to present the fastening receiving openings in position to receive fastenings. It is essential to the success of such machines that the work be properly presented and firmly held up to the operation of the awl and the fastening inserting mechanism. Such machines are, therefore, provided with a work support or horn upon which the boot or shoe to be operated upon is mounted and be tween which and an abutment in the head of the machine the shoe is held clamped for the work penetrating and fastening inserting operations.

In operating upon some classes of work particularly, difficulty has been experienced heretofore due to lack of provision for accommodation of the position of the abutment to different angular positions of the work, with the result that very often the work surface being operated upon, such as the sole of a boot or shoe, would be gouged, marked, or otherwise marred by the abut ment, usually by an edge or corner of the abutment. A further difliculty arising from the inability of the abutment to accommodate its position to different angular positions of the shoe was that, in some positions of the shoe especially, the abutment would not afford a proper bearing for the shoe. Very often in such cases, by reason of insufliciently firm clamping of the work, the fastenings would be improperly clenched or otherwise improperly driven.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a fastening inserting machine so organized that the above mentioned and other difficulties arising from the relative construction and operation of the work presenting and clamping elements as heretofore constructed may be obviated.

In accordance with an important feature of the invention, the abutment of the illustrated work clamping and presenting mech anism is capable of tipping movement to I accommodate the position of its work engaging face to the angular position of the portion of the work engaged thereby. As shown, the work abutment is constructed and arranged for free universal tipping or tilting movement so that it is always autonatically self-accommodating to the plane of the portion of the shoe engaged by the abutment to insure that the entire work engaging surface of the abutment will bear evenly and firmly upon the work at what ever angle the work is presented to the op eration of the fastening inserting mechanism and the awl.

A further difficulty often encountered, particularly in the operation of machines such as those above mentioned, was encountered when such a machine was used to in sert nails in a channel in the sole of a boot or shoe by reason of the difficulty of eifecting readily and properly the entrance of the awl in the channel, and by reason of the liability that the awl would puncture or break down the channelfiap.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for opening the channel of a channeled sole in advance of the operation of the entrance of the awl in the successive portions of the channel, which means will insure that the portion of the channel being operated upon will remain open until after the fastening inserting operation, and which means will, furthermore be capable of adapting its position to different positions in which the work may be presented to the operation of the machine.

Other features of the invention reside in further provision for adapting the machine and particularly the work clamping and presenting mechanism of the machine to different conditions encountered in the use of the machine. 1

Although the preferred embodiment of the invention herein illustrated is shown and described as incorporated in a loose nailing machine of the type set forth in the above mentioned Letters Patent, it is recognized that the invention as a whole or various features thereof may have other and different uses including application to nailing machines of other types. v

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of the machine head;

Fig. 2 is an angular perspective in elevation showing on a larger scale an embodiment of the present invention applied to the machine of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the channel opening device reversed from the position shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. i is a sectional detail in elevation showing the work abutment; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the lower end of member 64 showing its plow-shaped channel opening portion.

The illustrated machine has a supporting frame including a standard or column 2 and a head l. In the column 2 is mounted the work support or horn 6, the machine being provided with suitable mechanism for operating the work support between work receiving and work clamping positions and for automatically depressing the work sup port periodically during the operation of the machine to release the work for work feeding movements, which mechanism may conveniently be as shown and fully described in said Letters Patent.

In the machine head 4 are mounted the various parts of the fastening inserting mechanism and the cams which control the timing of the operations of the various parts of the machine as a whole.

Inasmuch as the illustrated machine is of the type known as a loose nailing machine, for the purposes of this description, the term nail may frequently be used instead of fastening in referring to various parts of the machine and various operations performed by the machine.

The fastenin inserting or nail driving I mechanism comprises a driver bar 8 mounted to reciprocate vertically in a guideway in an upright part of the machine head and having clamped to its lower end a driver 10. The driver 10 reciprocates in a driver passage in a fixed driver guide 12. Upon its rear side the driver bar 8 is provided with rack teeth engaged by the teeth of a segment rack carried upon a cam operated lever (not shown). I

The nailsto be driven are contained in a hopper (not shown) from which they are conducted by a raceway 14 to a point adjacent to the driver passage in the driver guide 12, said guide being slotted at the side adjacent to the raceway whereby the nails may be introduced one at a time from the raceway into said driver passage.

Below the driver guide 12 is a nail receiving throat 16 mounted upon a throat carrier or slide 18 and movable with said slide transversely to the path of feed of the work and transversely to the raceway 1a. Transverse movement of the throat 16 is pro vided for the purpose of withdrawing the throat from the path of shoe feed movement of the awl 2O hereinafter further referred to, in order to permit the awl to bring the nail receiving opening which it has formed in the work beneath the driver passage in the throat 16. The throat carrier or slide 18 is guided in an opening in the machine frame and is provided at its rear end with rack teeth with which engage teeth upon a segment rack on the lower end of a cam operated throat slide actuating lever pivoted on the machine head, all as fully shown and described in said Letters Patent.

A nail separator 22 is also mounted upon the throat carrier or slidelS for operative movement therewith, the separator 22 being yieldingly connected to said slide so that on return movement of the slide the separator may move relatively to the slide in the event that it meets an obstruction in the raceway and being normally spring held in operative relation to the slide 18. y

The awl 20 is clamped in a two-part awl bar the lower part 24 of the awl bar, which part receives the awl, having an adjustable toothed connection 26 with the upper awl bar part 28. The awl bar part 28 is carried by an awl bar carrier 30 arranged to slide in a stationary bracket 32 on the machine head.

Movement of the awl bar carrier 30 along its guideway in the bracket 32 moves the awl 20 transversely of the line of nail drive and in the line of shoefeed to effect stepby-step shoe feeding movement. This shoe feeding movement of the awl bar 24, 28 and awl 20 is effected by a floating lever 34 provided at its upper end with a cam roll traveling in a cam groove in therear face of a cam disk 36 mounted upon the forward end of the main driving shaft 38.

The awl bar 24, 28 is arranged to reciprocate vertically in its carrier 30 to form successive nail receiving openings in the work. To effect work penetrating movements of the awl, the awl bar is provided on its rear face with rack teeth engaging correspondingly formed teeth 40 upon a segment rack carried upon one arm of a cam operated awl operating lever (not shown).

The parts above described conveniently may be and as shown are substantially like the corresponding parts of the machine of the above mentioned Letters Patent in construction and operation and reference should be had to said Letters Patent for a more detailed description of the construction and operation of these parts.

The general operation of the machine as so far described may be summarized as follows: After a shoe has been mounted upon the work support or horn 6 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2, upon depression of the work support controlling treadle (not shown), the horn is raised to press the work into engagement with a work abutment indicated generally at 42 (the construction and operation of which will be described hereinafter), the horn as it moves up into work clamping position assuming a position determined by the thickness of the work. After the machine has been started, the awl 20 is first moved downwardly by its operating mechanism to form a nail receiving opening in the work, the driver 10 at the same time being moved upwardly until it clears the throat 16. As the awl completes its work penetrating movement, the horn 6 is depressed by the horn release mechanism to release the work from work clamplng pressure against the abutment 42. The lever 34 is then actuated to move the awl laterally, through sliding movement of the awl bar carrier 30, to feed the work over the horn until the nail receiving opening which the awl has just formed in the work is brought into the line of drive beneath the driver, the throat 16 and separator 22 being withdrawn simultaneously during the work feeding movement whereby the throat 16 is moved out of the path of the awl 20. As the awl 20 returns to its initial. position after the work feeding operation, the throat 16 and separator 22 are moved forwardly into their original positions, the throat 16 thereby being brought into operative position with the nail passage therein in line with the driver and the separator acting to deliver a nail to the throat 16 as the fastening receiving opening in the throat comes beneath the driver passage and as the driver completes its upward movement. Thereafter. the driver bar 4 is actuated by its cam to effect a driving stroke of the driver 10 to insert the fastening which has j ust been delivered into the throat into the nail receiving opening just formed in the work, the nail, indicated at 44 (Fig. 2), being clenched in the work by impact against the horn tip.

In accordance with an important feature of the present invention, a novel work abutment is provided to cooperate with the work support or horn 6 in clamping the worn: foirthe work penetrating and nailing operations of the machine. In the illustrated construction, this abutment comprises a disk 42 arranged to bear upon the WOIK and, in the case illustrated, upon the outer or tread surface of the outsole of the boot or shoe being operated upon, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. As shown, the abutment 42 has a ball and socket universal connection 46 with a carrier member 48 adjustably clamped in a holder 50, the member 48 being threaded into the member 50 ancLsecured in adjusted position by a split clamp indicated at 52. This adjustment provides for raising or lowering the abutment 42 relatively to the work on the horn 6.

In the illustrated construction, provision is also madefor adjustment of the abutment 42 laterally transversely of the shoe. To this end, the holder 50 has a rearward extension 54 slidably mounted in a guideway 56 formed in a part 58 which carries the abutment 42. Screws 6O secure the part 54 adjustably to the carrier part 58. The carrier part 58, as .shown, may be afixed mem ber integral with the usual guard plate 62 which is secured as by screws to the head of the machine.

The illustrated work abutment 42, by virtue of its tipping or tilting capacity affords a proper bearing for the shoe no matter at what angle the shoe is held in its presentation to the operating instrumentalities of the machine. This is of especial advantage, for example, by reason of the fact that it is necessary in performing certain operaations, such as nailing on outsoles, to vary the angle of presentation of the shoe to the operation of the machine upon different parts of the same shoe, a particularly marked change in shoe position being necessitated in going from the forepart to the shank of the shoe by reason of the abrupt drop between these portions. Frequently, too, it is necessary or desirable to vary the angular presentation of the shoe in order to drive the nails into the shoe at the proper angle. The tipping or tilting capacity of the abutment 42 insures that at whatever desired angle the shoe is tipped, either about a longitudinal or about a transverse shoe axis, the entire bearing surface of the abutment will be maintained uniformly in engagement with the shoe sole. This not only insures the most efficient clamping of the shoe between the abutment 42 and the horn 6, thus facilitating obtaining better and more uniform nail clenching, but also cbviates gouging, marring the sole.

Furthermore, the provision for vertical adjustment of the abutment 42 provides for changes in the relative heights of the toe and heel according to the particular requirements of the work to be operated upon, lowering of the abutment permitting the toe portion of the shoe to be raised and the marking and otherwise nails to be driven at an angle, and, vice versa, raising the abutment positioning the shoe more nearly horizontally.

Also, the provision for bodily adjustment of theabutment 42 transversely of the shoe sole permits the abutment to be located so that it will always bear upon the sole at the proper distance from the nailing point what ever the style or size of the shoe.

To facilitate the operation of the machine and particularly to facilitate the work penetrating operation of the awl when the machine is used to insert nails in channeled outsoles, in accordance with another feature of the invention, the illustrated machine is provided with channel opening means operating step-by-step to open each part of the channel before the entrance of the awl into that part. To this end, the machine is pro vided with a channel opener 64- havinga somewhat plow-shaped operative end adapted to be inserted readily in the channel between' the channel flap indicated at 66 and the lower marginal face 68 of the body portion of the outsole. Preferably, and as shown, the channel opener 64 is located near the awl 20 on the side of the awl farthest from the driver 10, or, in other words, in the rear of the awl relatively to the direction of turning movement of the-shoe in the nailing thereof.

The channel opener 64, as shown, has two upward extensions or frame arms 70 connected by a top cross bar 72. The channel opener frame 70, 72 is slidably secured to the awl bar carrier 30 in the manner best shown in Fig. 2 by a cap plate 74 secured to the awl bar carrier as by a screw 76 which passes throughthe cap plate 74 and through anintermediate filler piece or block 7 8 disposed between the cap plate 7 4 and the awl bar 30 and located between the channel opener frame arms 70. A spring 80 secured at its upper endv to a stud projecting from the cross bar 7 2 of the channel opener carrying frame and at its lower end to a similar stud projecting from the cap plate 74. operates to maintain the channel opener normally in its lowermost position while permitting it to yield upwardly more or less under pressure of the work, a slideway for the channel opener frame being provided by the opposed walls of the cap plate 7 4 and the awl ar carrier 30. A stop. screw 82 threaded through the top cross bar 7 2 of. the. channel opener frame determines. adjustably the normal or lowermost position of the channel. opener by. engagement with a stationary ledge 84.

In inserting nails in shoe soles provided with McKay channels, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the channel opener 64 is introduced into the outsole channel beneath the channel flap upon presentation of the shoe to the driving instrumentalities of the machine.

Thereafter, as the shoe is fed around in the direction of the arrow for the insertion of successive nails in the channel, the channel opener 64 opens each portion of the channel by separating the channel lip 66 from the channel bed or marginal face 68 of the body of the outsole just in advance of each successive work penetrating movement of the awl 20, thus facilitating the-entrance of the awl into the channel and insuring that the awl will not break down, mar, or otherwise injure the channel lip. The channelv opener also holds the channel open until the insertion of the nail in the channel, preventing the portion of the channel being operated upon from being closed by the lower face of the guard plate 62 after the entrance of the awl but before the entrance of the driver.

The spring pressure upon the channel opener 64 and its capacity for yielding vertically upward against that pressure insure that at all times the channel opener will bear uniformly and properly upon the sole in the channel and at the same time permit itsheight to be varied, automatically with variations in the position of the shoe as well as in accordance with variations in position of different shoes to be operated u on.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1- 1. In a fastening inserting machine, the combination with fastening inserting mech anism, means for supplying fastenings successively to said fastening inserting mechanism, and an awl operating to form successive fastening receiving openings in the work and to feed the work step-by-step to present the said fastening receiving openings successively in position to receive fastenings inserted by said fastening inserting mechanism, of means for clamping the work comprising a work support and a cooperating abutment constructed and arranged for universal tipping or tilting movement to cause its entire work engaging surface to bear evenly upon the work at whatever angle the work is pre sented to the operation of the fastening inserting mechanism and the awl.

2. In a fastening inserting machine, a driver, means for supplying fastenings successively to the operation of thedriver, an

' awl, and mechanism for operating said driver and said awl, in combination with a work support and an opposed cooperating abutment constructed and arranged for universal tipping movement to accommodate the position-of its work engaging face to the angular position of the portion of the work engaged thereby.

3. In a fastening inserting machine, a driver, means for supplying fastenings successively to the operation of the driver, an awl, and mechanism for operating said driver and said awl, in combination with a Work support and an opposed cooperating abutment constructed and arranged for universal tipping movement to accommodate the position of its work engaging face to the angular position of the pol ion of the work engaged thereby, said abutment being vertically adjustable relatively to the work sup port.

4. In a fastening inserting machine, a driver, an aWl, and mechanism for operat ing said driver and said awl, in combination with a work support and an opposed cooperating abutment constructed and arranged for universal tipping movement according to the plane of the portion of the shoe engaged by the abutment, said abutment being adjustable transversely of the shoe toward or from the driver and awl.

5. In a fastening inserting machine, a driver, means for supplying fastenings in position to be inserted by the driver, an awl, and mechanism for operating said driver and awl, in combination with a work sup port, a carrying member, and an abutment constructed and arranged to cooperate with said Work support and comprising a shoe engaging member pivoted to said carrying member to be freely self-accommodating to variations in all directions in'the angular position of the surface of the shoe being operated upon 6. In a fastening inserting machine, a driver, means for supplying fastenings successively to the operation of the driver, an awl, and mechanism for operating said awl and said driver to feed the work and to insert fastenings therein, in combination with a work support and an opposed cooperating abutment located at one side of the path of feeding movement of the awl and constructed and arranged for tipping movement transversely of a shoe to accommodate the position of the work engaging face of the abutment to the angular position of the shoe as the shoe is tipped about a longitudinal axis in its presentation to the operation of the driver and the awl.

7. In a fastening inserting machine, a driver, means for supplying fastenings successively to the operation of the driver, an awl, and mechanism for operating said driver and said awl, in combination with a work support and an opposed cooperating abutment comprising an imperforate disk constructed and arranged to be capable of free tipping movement lengthwise of a shoe to accommodate the position of the abut ment to any given angular position into which the shoe may be tipped about a trans verse axis in its presentation to the operation of the driver and the awl.

8. In a fastening inserting machine, a

driver, means for supplying fastenings successively to the operation of the driver, an awl, and mechanism for operating said awl and said driver to feed the work and to insert fastenings therein, in combination with a work support and an opposed cooperating abutment constructed and arranged for tipping movement about an axis at right angles to the direction of feed of the work to accommodate the position of the work engaging face of the abutment to the angular position of the shoe as the shoe is tipped about a transverse axis in its presentation to the operation of the driver and the awl.

9. In a fastening inserting machine, a driver, means for supplying fastenings in position to be inserted by the driver, an awl, and mechanism for operating; said driver and awl, in combination with a work support, a carrying member, and an abutment constructed and arranged to cooperate with said work support and comprising a shoe engaging member having its work bearing surface located entirely at one side of the line of fastening insertion and movably connected to said carrying member to be freely self-accommodating to variations in the angular position of the surface of the shoe being operated upon.

10. In a fastening inserting machine, fastening inserting mechanism, a raceway, a separator for taking previously formed fastenings successively from said raceway and delivering them to the fastening inserting mechanism, an awl operating to form successive fastening receiving openings in the work and feed the work step-by-step to present the said fastening receiving openings successively in position to receive fastenings inserted by the fastening inserting mechanism, a channel opener constructed and arranged to open successive portions of the channel and hold them open for the entrance of the awl and the driving of the fastening, said channel opener being spring pressed against the work, and work clamping means for holding the work against the thrust of the and and the fastening inserting mechanism comprising a work support and an opposed cooperating abutment constructed and arranged for tipping movement to maintain its work bearing surface in the plane of the portion of the shoe engaged thereby in different angular positions of said portion of the shoe as it is presented to the operation of the fastening inserting mechanism and the awl.

11. In a fastening inserting machine, fastening inserting mechanism, means for supplying fastenings successively to said fastening inserting mechanism, an awl operating to form successive fastening receiving openings in the work, means for imparting lateral shoe feeding movements to the awl after each Work penetrating movement of the awl to present said fastening receiving openings successively in position to receive fastenings inserted by the fastening inserting mechanism, a channel opening member constructed and arranged to open each portion of the channel for the entrance of the awl in that portion of the channel and to move laterally with the awl in its shoe feeding movement to hold said portion of the channel open, and work clamping means comprising a work support and a cooperating tipping abutment self-positioning according to the angular osition of the portion of the sole engaging said abutment as the "work is presented to the operation of the fastening inserting mechanism and the awl.

12. In a fastening inserting machine, fastening inserting mechanism, means for supplying fasten'ings successively to said fastening inserting mechanism, an awl operat ing to penetrate the work to form successive fastening receiving openings in the work and having lateral shoe feeding movement while in the work to present the fastening receivingopenings successively in inserting position, and a channel opening device comprising a plow shaped member spring pressed against the work in the channel and operating to open successive portions of the channel in advance of the entrance of the and in the channel.

13. In a fastening inserting machine, fastening inserting mechanism, means for supplying fastenings successively to said fastening inserting mechanism, 'an awl operating topenetrate the work to form successive fastening receiving openings in the Work and having lateral shoe feeding movement while in the work to present the fastening receiving openings successively in 'inserting position, and a channel opening device constructed and arranged to engage successive portions of a shoe iii-the channel in advance of the entrance of the awl in the channel, said channel opening'device being mounted to yield vertically under pressure of the work.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM H. STARRATT. 

